


a racing game to catch you

by i_was_human



Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Cities, Jaewon runs a rice cake shop, M/M, Magical Realism, No beta we die like mne, Self-Discovery, Soulmates, background minwon, dongho and minsoo have motorcycles, jaewon's kinda a cupid, loosely, rated t for cursing, this is a hot mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26648668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: self-discovery can mean finding the thing that gives your life meaning.it can also mean finding the place.
Relationships: Kang Dongho | D.Min/Kim Daehyun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	a racing game to catch you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [baekhyunsmoles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/baekhyunsmoles/gifts).



Days seem to loop in a haze. 

Every day, it's more of the same - go to work, come home, have dinner for one, get changed, go to bed.

It loops over and over, an endless, pointless monotony that leaves his head spinning.

Logically, things should change, right? There should be a weekend, should be a day that's not like the others, _should be something else_ , and yet-

and yet.

Nothing ever seems to change.

Daehyun scrolls through his phone as people jostle around him, eyes glazing over as he stares at the words on the screen. New idol groups, politics, new songs, recitals, sports results...

nothing interests him.

He raises his head to gaze blankly out the window, a few people pushing him closer to the glass. The city blurs past, people trudging along, and just as he's about to go back to staring at things he has no interest in, something catches his eye.

There's a man on a motorcycle.

A helmet covers his head, and his gloved hands grip the handlebars, jacket snapping in the breeze. 

The longer Daehyun stares, the more he thinks he knows him.

Then the train turns the corner, and the man is gone.

Once Daehyun gets off at his stop, the urge to go back and find the man is almost overpowering. He's not sure what it is - whether it's the tattoo on the man's neck, the carefree way he moved, or the mystique of it all - but he wants - no, _needs_ \- to see him again.

His gaze flits to the distant skyscraper, taking in the billboards on its front edifice, and then down towards the direction the man came from - a series of dark, winding alleyways.

He's never had an easier choice.

* * *

He trudges down the alleyways, letting his feet take him where they will. 

He's not sure how long he walks - whether it's ten minutes or two hours - but after a while, he walks straight into a red-haired boy setting up a sign outside a store.

"Ah-" the boy gasps, reaching up to grip Daehyun's arms. "Are you okay?"

Daehyun blinks at him, bewildered, and the boy frowns, leaning forwards to tap his forehead.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No," Daehyun replies, and the boy's frown deepens. 

"Would you like a rice cake?"

What?

"What?"

"I sell rice cakes," the boy smiles, and Daehyun blinks as the man drags him into the shop.

"Ah- I'm actually looking for someone-"

"Stay," the boy hums, and Daehyun sits.

He waits for a few minutes, fiddling with his phone as he does, before the boy brings out a container of rice cakes, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Here you go!"

Daehyun stares at him, eyes narrowing, and the boy laughs.

"I'm not going to drug you. I just help people find what they're looking for."

"Are you a faerie?"

"Faerie?" the boy asks, sounding amused. "No. Just... a guider."

Daehyun nods, popping open the container and taking a bite of one of the rice cakes. 

It's good, actually.

"What are you looking for, Daehyun-ah?"

"A boy," Daehyun frowns, taking another bite. "Wait- how do you know my name?"

"Lucky guess," the boy smiles, resting his chin on his hand.

He's very smiley, Daehyun notes.

"My name is Ahn Jaewon, and this is my shop. Do you know who you're looking for?"

"He's a biker," Daehyun helplessly states, and Jaewon nods.

"Mm. Flower tattoo on his neck?"

"Uh- yes?"

"That's Dongho," Jaewon states, and Daehyun starts on the second rice cake. "He comes around this neighborhood a few times a week and does deliveries for me. If you wanna find him, Minsoo will probably know where he is."

"Minsoo?"

"My partner," Jaewon grins, a love-struck look settling in his eyes. "He's out right now, but he should be back in a few minutes."

"Oh."

Daehyun busies himself with finishing the other rice cakes, and almost as soon as he finishes the last one, the door opens with a soft chime.

"Jaewon? I'm back!"

"Minsoo!" Jaewon beams, standing and gesturing at Daehyun. "This is Dae."

"You're helping him?" Minsoo asks - and he looks like someone who would know Dongho, Daehyun thinks. His silver hair is windswept, and gloves cover his hands, a jacket hanging off one shoulder.

"Of course," Jaewon smiles, and Minsoo laughs.

"You're such a cupid, Jae."

"Aww," Jaewon grins, and Daehyun watches, bewildered.

"You're looking for Dongho?" Minsoo asks, and Daehyun nods. "Great. He's been looking for you, too."

* * *

Daehyun wraps his arms around Minsoo's waist as they speed through the city, gaze flitting over the assorted storefronts.

In one, a boy with bright pink hair cuts the hair of a dark-haired man, sparkling blush coating his cheekbones and hair tied into a ponytail.

In another, a boy with tattoos up his arms leans against a counter, chin resting on his hand and apathetic gaze pinned on the street. 

_"I just help people find what they're looking for,"_ Jaewon had said, and Daehyun knows this isn't what he's looking for, but it's what he needs nonetheless.

This geniality - the genuine _happiness_ that seems to permeate the air - it's nothing like his lonely apartment.

(for a moment, he thinks he wants this.)

Finally, Minsoo slows to a stop outside a small store, and Daehyun climbs off on unsteady legs, unsure of what to do.

"Um- thank you, Minsoo-ssi."

"Just call me hyung," Minsoo laughs, resting his chin on his hand. "I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."

What does _that_ mean?

Daehyun shakes it off, grasping the door handle and pulling.

It's a shelter, he realizes, staring at the small areas all around. Cats sleep in one corner, and puppies play in another, birds flying around the space and perching on built-in mounts.

Daehyun may be a little bit in love.

"Just a second," someone calls, and Daehyun nods, drifting over to the front desk.

A black cat snoozes on the glass, and Daehyun reaches out to scratch her head, lips curling into a grin when she snuggles deeper into her paws.

God, this place is amazing.

"Hello," someone states, and Daehyun turns, mouth falling open as his gaze lands on the single most stunning person he's ever met.

The man's dark hair hangs around his face, damp and pushed-back from a shower. A flower tattoo crawls up the left side of his neck, brushing his jaw, and his hands bear the scars of numerous claw and teeth marks.

Daehyun thinks he's fucking gorgeous.

"Hi," Daehyun weakly states, and the man gives him a small grin.

"Hey. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Truth be told, Daehyun feels the same.

It feels like this is where he's meant to be, somehow. Like this - like this is the sense of purpose his life has been missing.

"I think I've been waiting for you, too," Daehyun breathes, and the man - Dongho - smiles once more.

(somehow, Daehyun knows that this is the start of the rest of his life.)

* * *

"Why are you so _cryptic_?"

Minsoo leans over the counter, a long sigh escaping his lips, and Jaewon laughs, reaching up to rub his neck.

"I help people-"

"You just confused him! He was so confused!"

"He found his way to the shop," Jaewon reminds him, rinsing off his hands under the sink. "That means he's meant to be here."

"You're so _weird_ ," Minsoo mutters, and Jaewon laughs.

"Maybe."

**Author's Note:**

> not positive what this is but i like it anyways
> 
> it was supposed to be so metal what Happened
> 
> anyways ask me questions in the comments :D
> 
> fic title for rpm by sf9
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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